


Aloha (Goodbye)

by Theonewhosawitall



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Declaration of Love, Episode: s10e22 Aloha (Goodbye), Fix-It, M/M, Peer Pressure, Plane chase, Romance, high speed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:54:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27674330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theonewhosawitall/pseuds/Theonewhosawitall
Summary: Quick finale fix.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 12
Kudos: 150





	Aloha (Goodbye)

_"It's gonna be okay, man. You know that, right?"_

_"You know, it doesn't feel like it's gonna be okay. It feels like... my main dude is leaving me. That's what's happening, you know."_

_"It's not goodbye forever."_

_"Better not be a forever goodbye. Why would you say that?!"_

_"Don't make me come looking for you."_

The conversation played over and over in Danny's head from the moment his hand slipped away from Steve's shoulder. Cole had driven him and Noelani away what felt like forever ago now. It was probably only a few minutes. But from the second Steve had gone inside Danny missed him. His heart felt like a stone now he was gone. 

Danny swirled his beer in one hand and stared at his phone in the other. Steve's photo grinned at him from the top of the screen but the message box remained blank. He tried to think of something to say but he couldn't find the words. If he hadn't been able to say them when the love of his life was standing right in front of him and writing them down wasn't any easier. 

It almost made him jump when he heard someone else clear their throat and take the seat that Steve had left empty. Danny tucked his phone back into his pocket to try and hide what he was doing.

"Hey Adam," he said, failing to keep the sigh out of his voice, "Sorry, I don't think I'm gonna be good company right now."

"What's new?" Adam scoffed.

"Right," Danny forced a smile.

The trouble with being surrounded by people who love you is that they're always there to support you even if you just want to be alone to mope. Danny had been there to do the exact same thing to Adam and now Adam was going to pay him back. At least that's what Danny thought. But Adam rested his forearms arms on knees and let out a heavy sigh.

"Daniel we need to talk."

Danny's eyebrows rose as he took a swig from his beer. Adam glanced over at him. That serious expression was one that could strike fear into people. To Danny it just concerned him.

"Daniel? That's pretty uh, pretty formal isn't it? Am I gonna like what I have to hear?" He asked cautiously. 

By the way Adam dropped his head he had a feeling that he wasn’t. He gripped the bottle tighter and adjusted in his seat. 

"You know you're probably my oldest friend right?" Adam said, gently, "That if it wasn't for you and Kono and Steve I would probably have gotten killed by Wo-Fat for going after him?"

Danny nodded slightly. "I'm glad you didn't."

"Thanks. And if it wasn't for you I probably would have drunk myself to death after Kono left me, so believe me when I tell you what I have to say comes from a place of real, genuine love," Adam added, gently.

Again Danny adjusted his position. Any blow that needed this much padding to soften it was going to be bad.

"Okay? You're kind of scaring me man, what’s up?" He asked cautiously. 

Adam raised his head to look Danny in the eye and said, plainly, "You're being an idiot."

Danny reeled back in surprise. Of all the things he could have guessed Adam was about to say, this wasn't on the list.

"Excuse me?"

"Ten years I've known you and Steve. I know love when I see it," Adam said, drily.

Danny's stomach twisted. He hung his head and sighed, "Adam-"

"You're constantly worried about him, you gave up a liver for him, fussed when he was sick, fussed when he was fine - and he did it back to you too," Adam continued, regardless. 

Danny's voice got tighter as he tried to refuse to listen, but trying to stop Adam was like trying to stop a charging bull. "Seriously-"

"Steve was there when whatever happened in Colombia happened, he was there when Grace had her car accident, he was there when Charlie got to go surfing for the first time, in the restaurant-" 

"That doesn't mean-"

"You were there for each other in sickness and in health. In good times and bad. Richer and poorer. Always."

"We're not married Adam, it's not like that-"

"He brings out the best in you and you stop him trying to get himself killed and that's love. That's what Kono and I had. You love him Danny and you can't let him go without telling him that."

Once he had finished his argument Adam sat back for rebuttal. Danny's head was spinning. His heart beat so fast that it drained the blood from his brain and he couldn't think of a lie to throw him off the scent. He couldn't even think of a lie to tell himself this time. He just sputtered instead. 

"I'm not - he doesn't- he doesn't feel- I - it couldn't work! I couldn’t- He doesn’t - we couldn't last Steve doesn't love me back!"

Adam's face was sympathetic but his eyes were shining with victory as Danny's mouth gaped. Hearing his own voice admit that he loved Steve in a far more romantic sense than he had ever been willing to admit before was a shock.

To him anyway.

From the steps behind him he heard Tani snort.  
"If you believe that you should hand in your badge because you're too blind for duty!"

Danny turned in his seat. His stomach dropped. All of Five-O had come by to see Steve off, as he had expected, and now they were training down the lalani behind him. Each one had the same look on their face that they had given Steve at his intervention. If Danny's brain had been functioning he would have wondered what Kamekona would have said about this. How you would capitalise on a declaration of love Danny wasn’t sure but if anyone could it was Kamekona. He probably had bouquets and leis and confetti in his car just in case.

But now Steve was gone and they were all looking at him with a strange mix of pity and impatience so the jig was up. There was no arguing anymore. 

"So you all knew huh?" He sighed.

"We are detectives Danny," Junior pointed out. 

"And yall ain’t as subtle as you think you are," Lou sneered.

Quinn tilted a beer in his general direction and said, "I honestly thought you were married when I met you both."

Danny frowned at her. She wasn’t the first. Over the years plenty of people had likened his relationship with Steve to a marriage. It was always said in jest. Just a joke. Never anything more. 

"If he loved me back he wouldn't be going to look for new options," Danny said.

"He would if he didn't know what options were available to him here," Tani argued.

Danny glanced at her uncertainly. In his mind at least he had dropped a thousand hints to Steve that he wanted something more than what the had, but maybe it was just that. In his mind. Maybe he had been so wrapped up in refusing to admit he was in love with his partner that he didn't notice his partner's hints it was reciprocated. 

Or maybe he was just hoping too much.

Danny had always had a knack for over thinking his way out of things.

"Steve thinks of you two as a family. He loves your kids. He wants it all for himself, but you never told him he was allowed it so now he's gone off to look for his own. Does that sound like a man who knows his options?" Lou asked.

"Steve just likes kids!" Danny argued.

Lou scoffed so loudly he threw his head back, "Hell naw, I've got two kids of my own and McGarrett ain't ever given either one a piggyback into the ocean like a humpback whale! What he and your kids have is special. It's love."

Danny blinked. Obviously Steve loved Grace and Charlie that was never in any doubt. Everyone loved Grace and Charlie. Or maybe Steve loved them so much that it felt like everyone did. 

"I haven't ever seen a SEAL assimilate into civilian life as well as Commander McGarrett. He loves you so much that he built himself a home and a family here, around you," Junior said, seriously.

"I have to agree," Quinn nodded. "Having a solid basis and a purpose in life is what keeps SEALs going. From what I can see, _you're_ that basis for McGarrett."

"And I gotta say, if you thought watching me and Junior tiptoe around each other was tough, imagine watching you and Steve do it and not even acknowledge it!" Tani complained. 

"For ten years!" Adam agreed.

Lou just made a guttural noise of agreement. He had no other way of expressing his derision. Danny stared at all of them in turn. The people before him were closer than friends. They were family. They knew him better than most people ever would, better than _Rachel_ ever would. And they knew Steve in the same way. 

Maybe they were right. Maybe Danny had just been too close to see it this whole time. Maybe they could make it work. Maybe Steve loved him back...

But if he did, why would he be getting on that plane?

Danny scoffed and shook his head, "You're all crazy."

Lou grumbled to himself and muttered something under his breath that made Tani raise a hand to his chest like she was holding him back. He didn't like to get involved in people's personal life but he had been subjected to this for too many years now to see it all wasted.

"Danny, he told the dog to keep an eye on you while he was gone. He's so afraid of hurting you he put _Eddie_ on the job because he's too afraid of getting himself hurt to stay!" Tani argued. 

"That man does not fear getting himself hurt," Danny scoffed.

" _Emotionally_ jackass!" Lou shouted. "Don't be a moron Danny, get out of here before I bounce your head off that table. You already got a busted leg you want your head broke too?!"

Junior stood up and moved to Tani's side to help her stay between Lou and Danny. His patience was wearing thin. Even Danny could see it. It took a lot to get Lou this wound up. He was competitive sure, and he wouldn't put up with any crap for very long no matter who was giving it, but to actually get angry was something else. Danny had seen it maybe twice in all the years he'd known Lou. Once when his daughter was in danger, and once when his partner had murdered his wife.

When Lou was this sure about something, he was right. No matter how insane it felt.

"It's too late anyway!" Danny declared. 

"It's not too late if you get going now!" Quinn insisted. 

Danny shook his head, "The airport is all the way across the island and I've got a busted leg. He's gone already, by the time we get to the airport he'll be on the tarmac-"

"Don’t worry about that I’ve got a direct line on someone who owes Steve big. They'll help us," Junior declared.

His phone was in his hand and already dialling before he finished speaking.

"I'll call ahead and tell them Five-O wants a passenger on that flight, the airline will help," Lou declared. 

That would hopefully keep the plane down for long enough for Danny to find Steve, but it still left one massive problem.

"How would I get there?!" He cried.

Adam rose to his feet. "I've got the Ferrari out front. I'll drive."

Whatever other arguments Danny had were squashed and ignored and steamrolled over by his team who leapt into action with the same gusto as any catching other perp. Explaining this waste of resources to the governor was going to be tricky, but they had gotten away with worse before. 

Danny was practically carried to the car by Quinn and Adam while Tani carried his crutch. As they hauled him into the car Danny looked up at them, anxiously.

"What if it all goes wrong?" He asked. 

Quinn laughed, "Are you kidding me? I’ve known you both five minutes and even I can see he's head over heels for you!"

"But-" Danny began.

"No buts, just _drive!"_ Tani yelled.

"Buckle up!" Adam warned.

He didn’t wait for Danny to do so. He shifted into gear and took off down the road at speeds high enough to force Danny back in his seat. That made him scramble for the seatbelt. 

By now he had become accustomed to weaving in and out of traffic at death defying speeds all the while clinging to the handle above the door for stability. But that was in his car. Which had a handle. And a roof. And less horsepower. 

The conversation between the two of them were little more than Danny yelling and Adam ignoring him as he took a corner so fast the wheels literally came off of the road. 

"I'm gonna be sick!"

"Don’t fall out of the car if you are!"

"Are those sirens?!"

"Probably! You don’t think we're going the legal limit do you?!"

Danny yelled again as they skidded across a line of traffic to over take a line of cars. Being a cop who had been on the run and training from Kono (and to a lesser extent, Steve himself) Adam would have made an excellent get away driver. He passed his police driving exam with flying colours too. Four months after this though.

Adam threw his car up onto the curb in the taxi rank like it was a cheap hunk of junk and not a five hundred thousand dollar sports car. He leapt out and grabbed the crutches from the back as he ran round to Danny's side of the car.

It took Danny a moment to latch onto them and find his feet again because his legs had gone to jelly. By that time Adam was already hurrying Danny into the airport. 

Danny had never seen Adam so giddy. He reminded him of Tani. Maybe being around the youth so much these days was reminding him of what good was still in the world. They needed to grab onto as much as that as possible because it was fleeting.

"Come on hurry up we've got a flight to stop!" Adam insisted. 

"What flight, I have no idea what flight we're looking for!" Danny yelled back.

Adam had already thought of that and was staring up at the departure board as he dialled a number on his phone. 

Danny's eyes glanced between the numbers and the destinations. Any of these flights could have him on board, if he hadn’t left already. Brisbane, Munich, Chicago, London - how was he supposed to know which one Steve had chosen?! Steve wanted to go somewhere new and find himself, he could be going literally anywhere! Danny didn’t even have a passport!

"Noelani speaking," She answer her phone cheerfully, blissfully unaware of the whirlwind happening at the other end of the phone. 

"Noelani are you still with Cole?!" Adam asked sharply. 

She sounded taken aback but remained polite, "Yeah, we're almost back at the morgue, why?"

"Does he know what flight McGarrett got on? It's really important!" Adam insisted. 

"Um, hold on."

Danny's eyes fixed on Adam as Adam balled his fists in frustration. They didn’t have time to wait for answers, they needed them ready to go. 

"What's she saying?" Danny demanded. 

"Shh!" Adam hissed.

"This is useless!" Danny huffed.

His eyes trailed down from the departure board and to the line of holiday makers lining up for their tickets. He set his jaw, leaned harder on his crutch, and forced his way to the front of the line. He had to practically push a guy out of the way to get there but he wasn’t about to let that stop him.

"Hi, hi, sorry, hi, I'm detective Williams-"

He threw his badge with a little too much oomph and it clattered off of the desk and onto her keyboard. The woman behind it snatched her fingers back with a hiss and the man Danny had shoved out of his way tutted as he backed off. Danny was fully aware that he was still in his loose shirt, knee length grey shorts, and blue flip flops and didn’t look anything like a cop, but he had his badge and he didn’t care what anyone thought about him as long as he got on that flight.

He didn’t miss a beat in his sentence. "It is incredibly important that I find someone who might be boarding a flight as we speak, can you check for the name Steven McGarrett please, thank you very much!"

Polite wasn’t the term anyone would use for the way Danny demanded answers from them but at least he remembered his manners. 

"Thanks Noe I promise I'll explain later!" Adam hung up without saying goodbye and dashed over to the desk, "Danny! He's on flight UA724!"

"UA724 where- where is that?!" Danny asked urgently.

The woman didn’t have to type to know the details of that flight. It wasn’t the first time she had been forced to come up with excuses as to why a plane was delayed. Complaints were endless. They had only just finished boarding and were about to start lying about mechanical errors, so she was more than slightly pleased that they had finally turned up to find whoever it was they were looking for.

"United Airlines flight UA724 to Newark is delayed. It's set to leave in ten minutes from gate E3."

Danny's heart missed a beat. If that was even possible. It was going so hard he wasn’t sure it was even beating and not just vibrating anymore.

"Newark?" He repeated, gobsmacked. 

Adam was too busy eyeing the signs to listen though. "E3, E3, E- Ah! This way!"

Adam linked his arm around Danny's back and pulled Danny's arm around his shoulders to speed them along. He snatched up Danny's badge on the way because the man was too dumbstruck to do it himself.

"He’s going to Jersey?" Danny was awed.

"Where else would he go?" Adam smirked.

It was in those few moments of Adam practically sweeping him through the airport to find a plane that his team had grounded so that he could stop his partner from leaving to find himself so he could tell him he was head over heels in love and had been for ten years that reality began to nip at Danny's heels again. But when his flip flop fell with a resounding clap against the marble floor, it hit him like a brick. 

"This is crazy," he muttered.

"What else is new?" Adam snorted.

"This is literally insane!" Danny muttered. 

"So is everything else we do, now come on!" Adam tugged him a little as if that would make him move more.

"No, no, Adam, I'm serious, this is crazy!" Danny insisted.

He wriggled to try and get away from Adam again. He had to latch onto his clutch with both hands as he did and he still almost collapsed. Adam had to try and help him into a seat but it was like trying to stop something gravity had already claimed. 

Danny sat on the edge of the plastic seat, leaning heavily on his crutch for support. He had no luggage, no idea what was going to happen next, and no way out. The only ID he had was his badge in Adam's hand and his driving licence in his wallet. And he only had one flip flop. 

To make matters worse his head was still spinning, his legs still felt like jelly, and he wasn't sure if the nausea was caused by nerves or the car ride here.  
Fifteen minutes ago he had been on a beach in his best friends garden with a beer in his hand. There was still sand in the flaps of his shorts. Now he was on the other side of the island trying to find a grounded plane to tell said best friend he loved him.

Danny felt like he was losing his mind.

Adam fell to his knees beside him, but the urgency wasn’t lost in him at all, "Danny I'm sorry I know you’re freaking out but we really have to go now!"

Danny shook his head. He was miles away and freaking out. "This is totally insane, I can't board that plane and tell Steve I love him! If he says he doesn’t love me back I'll look like an idiot!"

"He won't say that, and you'll regret it if you don’t find out!" Adam insisted desperately. 

"What kind of creep _grounds_ a plane to say they're in love?!" Danny cried.

"Steve! Steve would do that!" Adam cried back, hitting Danny's knees urgently as he did. The adrenaline rushing through them both saved Danny from feeling the pain in his broken leg. "Steve would drive down the runway playing chicken with the plane to make sure you couldn't go! Don’t give up now!"

Danny's eyes were wide and fearful, "What would I even say? what if we're all wrong about this? What if-"

Adam groaned as he glanced at the gate number again. They were so close. The door was shut but the crew were still there. They just had a few more feet to go! Then a stroke of genius struck him.

"Hey, if the tables were turned and this was me fighting for Kono right now, what would you say?" Adam asked seriously. 

"Give up, marriage is a prison that never works out, love doesn't last," Danny lied.

"Daniel," Adam warned urgently. 

Danny groaned and gave an uncomfortable shrug "I guess I'd say I've never seen two people who compliment each other like you two do and, as cheesy as it sounds, you make me think that maybe sometimes love is a real thing because you two... you two are it. That seeing you two together makes me believe in love again..."

For the first time in the last twenty minutes Adam had a reason to pause. "Wow. That's... that's a pretty good argument. And that's exactly what I see with you and Steve."

Adam's tone had dropped all urgency. It was soft and serious and genuine. Danny's eyes fixed hard on his and he knew that Adam meant it. Adam really believed that Danny and Steve were meant to be together. Danny licked his lips.

"But what if-"

"And what if it doesn’t? You owe it to yourself and to him to find out!"

Danny glanced over at the gate again. It was only a few feet away. _Steve_ was only a few feet away. And if he didn’t move now that few feet would turn into hundreds or thousands of miles away. 

It had to be here.

It had to be now.

Danny clenched his jaw. "Okay. Help me up the stairs."

To say the air steward looked surprised to see two grown men struggling up the steps to the plane door was an understatement. She had been expecting them, of course. They had been fully informed that two officers were going to board their plane in search of someone. She just hadn't expected one to be injured. 

"Hi, Five-O, which row is McGarrett?"

Danny was craning his neck to look down the length of the plane while asking.

"24C."

"Thanks."

Danny took two steps forward to reach the chairs and suddenly he felt the support of Adam's hand slip away from him. He had to lean on one of the chairs to look back at him. Adam gave him an encouraging smile.

"Go on. You've got this."

Danny gulped. He couldn’t even stand on his own. But that wasn't going to stop him. Danny leaned on each of the chairs as he made his way down the plane searching for a familiar face. 

The one he found was not the one he was expecting.   
Danny froze when he saw Catherine. She had a white tank shirt on, showing off her curved arm muscles, and khaki shorts that came halfway down her thigh. When she laughed she threw her knee up and showed off her big black army boots. She was laughing a lot. She had to keep throwing that long, silky dark hair of hers back out of her face when she did. That only made her smile brighter.

That only made _his_ smile brighter. 

Danny adored that stupid lopsided goofy grin of Steve's. The one that had enough light to guide them through a black out and made his insides feel like a puddle in his knees. But when he smiled at _her_ like that, it hit Danny like a brick to the chest. 

Once upon a time Danny had liked Catherine. Back before she broke Steve's heart into a million pieces twice. Back before she conspired with his mother to keep secrets from him. Back before she not only allowed but encouraged him to torture people for information in the wake of Joe's death. 

Catherine brought out the worse in Steve. But by God she made him happy. One smile was enough to tell him that. 

Danny couldn't take his eyes off them as his heart tore in two. He couldn't even glance back to Adam. It just felt like the whole world had frozen and the only people left were them, and him. And before he could stop himself, he was eavesdropping on their laughter.

" _Of course_ the plane going to Jersey is delayed! I try to do one thing for Danny and it just has to go wrong!"

Danny's stomach twisted. Something in Steve's voice felt strange. There was a twinge of sadness to it. He was sitting there, beside the one woman he had ever dared to fall in love with, the one woman he could ever imagine marrying, and he was thinking about _Danny._

That was enough to push Danny forward. He got nearer and his hands felt numb. His stomach stayed tight. This was probably going to kill him, but fuck it, he'd already come this far.

"Steve?"

Steve froze. It was just for a split second, but Danny saw it. Steve's eyes flicked up onto Danny. His jaw gaped. It was as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Catherine smiled to herself as she glanced between them. 

"Danny? W-what- what- what are you doing here?" Steve stammered. 

Part of him had thought he might never see Danny again. Other parts thought he'd meet some girl, fall in love, get married and be happy without Steve around. Steve couldn't bare the idea of coming home to find out Danny was in love with someone who wasn’t him. Then again he couldn’t bare the idea of watching him fall in love with someone that wasn't him. 

Especially not Rachel again. Rachel who had lied to him repeatedly, insulted him, belittled him, kept things - children from him! Danny deserved better but he always seemed to circle back to Rachel. 

"I um... I have - I have to talk to you, I have- um, h-hi Catherine-" Danny stammered.

He was desperately trying to remain polite even though he wanted to shoot her in the leg just for being there. When she stood up and reached out to hug him he tensed. She smiled warmly like she hadn't noticed. 

"It's good to see you Danny," she said, earnestly. 

Disgust filled Danny's eyes even if his face didn’t change. Catherine reached up to the luggage compartment and slung her bag over her shoulder. 

"I'll leave you two to talk," she winked.

Danny's face changed that time. He looked just as surprised and confused as Steve. 

"Leave? Don’t you need to get back to the mainland?" Steve asked. 

"Oh yeah I do, but uh, my flight doesn't leave till tomorrow," Catherine admitted sheepishly. "I was just doing a friend a favour. It really was good to see you though."

"Yeah," Steve muttered, but his eyes has already fixed on Danny again, "you too."

Catherine chuckled to herself as she felt all eyes watch her walk the length of the plane to Adam. He greeted her with a hug.

"Hey Adam!" She grinned. 

"Mahalo for this Catherine," he smiled back.

"Well after everything I figured I owed him one."

Catherine joined Adam's side and looked back down the plane to watch as Danny shifted awkwardly back to look at Steve. The confusion had outweighed his adrenaline and now he was lost all over again.

"Is she not- you and her aren't-" he began, nervously. 

"Me and Cath?" Steve snorted. "Danno you know that's all over. We've been friends for years, she'll always matter to me, but there are other people who mean more."

Steve's words were pointed, but Danny felt like a thirteen year old standing in front of his first crush. He didn’t dare say anything that might not be reciprocated. 

"Like?" he asked, cautiously. 

"Like you. Like Grace. Charlie and - Adam, over there, hey Adam," Steve leaned out of his seat to wave.

Adam raised a hand to wave back. "Hey Steve."

By now they had more than just one or two people looking their way and Danny was keenly aware of it. But Steve had been about to leave. He was leaving behind the home he had created. The family that he always felt slightly apart from. The man he loved who never gave him any indication it could be mutual. 

And yet here he was, halfway across the island in the same outfit he had been wearing on that beach twenty five minutes ago when they last said goodbye, except with one less shoe. Broken leg be damned.

No one sane did something like this. 

But love didn't help people's sanity.

Still, he couldn't jump to conclusions. He wouldn't. 

"What's going on Danny?" Steve asked, cautiously. 

"I um... I have to tell you something. I uh, you uh, um... you - you can't go. I- I don’t want you to go," Danny stammered.

He swore inwardly and bit his bottom lip as he felt his cheeks getting hotter. He could feel the eyes on him. He should have practiced in the car. He would have if he hadn’t been risking his life.

Steve looked slightly more hopeful as he repeated, "You don’t?"

Danny gulped. He couldn't look Steve in the eye as he said, "No. I don’t. I don’t want a new partner. I don’t want you off travelling alone - I don't want you to go anywhere alone because, um... well, um..."

Steve's heart beat faster and he sat up eagerly. "Danny? What are you trying to say?"

Urgh, this was awful. It made him feel sick to his stomach. If he didn't get the words out he might just vomit.

"I'm trying to say that... even after everything, I do uh- I do care about you. I do. I don’t - I don't know what to do without you. I don’t want to find out," Danny muttered.

Steve stood up and hurried closer to Danny. there wasn’t much distance on a plane but he was within easy touching distance now and that thought alone sent his pulse racing. 

"Are you saying what I think you’re saying?" Steve begged quietly.

"Steve, I, um, I uh, I- I... you mean everything to me, and I-" Danny stammered.

His cheeks were scarlet now. They only got worse when Steve laced his fingers through his and brought his hand up to his chest. Danny could feel his racing heart through his chest as Steve crept closer.

"Yeah?" He muttered, eagerly.

"I..." Danny's voice shook. 

Steve gently pressed his forehead against Danny's. He could feel the red hot blush radiating from the shorter man even from here. Steve chuckled at the implications. His mind was racing. 

"Yeah?" He whispered. 

When Danny gulped again, Steve could feel it. "I..."

Steve couldn't wait anymore more. He dipped his head to fit against Danny's. His nose brushed against Danny's as he angled lowered to teach his lips...  
It was a soft, fleeting brush. A delicate test. So feather light you would hardly notice it.

If you hadn't been waiting a decade for it that is.

The floodgates had opened and Danny collapsed through them. The very instant Steve tried to pull back Danny closed the gap before he could. Danny fought for this. He took his victory for all it was worth.

Steve's cheeks turned just as scarlet as Danny's as he lit up. Danny felt his smile through their kiss, and leapt on that opportunity to explore his mouth deeper. He heard the muffled surprise from his partner and chuckled back. The vibrations of the sound made Steve melt. His arms wrapped around Danny's waist as Danny's fingers tangled themselves into his hair.

Ten years they had been dying of thirst. 

They could kick themselves for not realising sooner.   
Danny broke away first, because in the new rush of adrenaline and heart attack and fear, he had forgotten just how much he was still aching all over. When Steve squeezed him like he never wanted to let go in case he lost him forever, he caught against the cuts in Danny's stomach.

Steve gave him the most dazzling giddy smile as he rested his forehead back against Danny's breathlessly. 

"I've been waiting ten years to do that," he admitted. 

That smile. That damn smile. It turned Danny to liquid. Cuts be damned, he could deal with the pain when it made Steve so happy.

"Do it again," he muttered. 

Steve chuckled. He was only too happy to oblige.   
Other passengers around them were less happy about this development though. 

"Is this why our flight has been delayed?!"

"Man I have a meeting tomorrow morning, this is ridiculous!"

"Shut up! It's romantic! Have a heart!"

The steward said something to Adam while he was cheering. Adam suddenly remembered where they were. He made his way down the aisle and tapped Steve awkwardly on the shoulder. 

"Guys, uh, not to rush you but this plane needs to take off. Are you still going Steve?" Adam asked.

Steve looked at him in surprise. Danny was still in his arms, leaning heavily on him for support. The man had come in and spun a whirlwind through his mind and his plans and now he had no idea what was up and what was down.

"I, uh, I'm not-" he began.

But Danny had other ideas. He peeled himself away from Steve to lean on Adam. Adam instinctively guided the crutch back into Danny's hand as he held him up. It was then that Steve remembered Danny was injured. 

"Yeah. Yeah we're going," Danny declared.

"You sure?" Steve asked uncertainly. 

"I’ve got a couple weeks off work to heal. I can heal in Jersey. I'm sure you can help my physical therapy," Danny winked.

Steve grinned, "I'd be glad to."

Danny turned back to Adam, "Will you pick the kids up from school for me?"

"Course," Adam beamed back. 

"And drive them like a normal person, not a rally driver?" Danny said sternly.

“I got you here didn’t I?" Adam grinned. 

"Thank you for that," Steve beamed. 

"If you'll watch the kids and Junior takes Eddie then we're all set. I guess we're going to Jersey!" Danny declared. 

"Then I'd better get off the plane!" Adam declared.

He barely had time to turn around before Danny reached out to stop him. "Adam?"

"Yeah?" Adam asked. 

No words would ever be able to explain the depth of gratitude Danny felt to him in that moment. He gripped his arm a little tighter and let his voice crack as he offered a simple, "Thank you."

Adam chuckled and patted his hand. Ten years he had been waiting for this. The gratitude and the triumph went both ways.

"No problem."

Turn around was fairly quick after that. Adam and Catherine left the plane together. Once he had explained himself to HPD they let him go with a warning and a pat on the back. they were as fed up with the pining as everyone else. Adam even gave Catherine a lift back to the base before going to pick up Charlie and Grace to tell them the good news. (He didn't actually tell them, they walked into the McGarrett house to find Tani dancing on a table). The plane took off without another hitch. 

Danny sat in mild pain beside Steve, thinking about all the luggage he hadn’t packed and all the medicine he hadn't brought and how they had nowhere to stay once they arrived and how little he cared about any of it when Steve kissed him like that.

Steve was smiling so much it hurt and he still couldn't stop. "What made you finally speak up?"

"I uh..." Danny gave a breathy laugh, "honestly I was bullied into it."

"The ohana?" Steve grinned.

"Yeah!" Danny laughed.

"Good. I'm glad!" Steve laughed.

Tani texted him a single question mark and he had replied with a smiling face just before they took off. He could imagine her now, dancing triumphantly with Junior while Lou smoked a cigar and chuckled to himself. God he loved them all so much. 

"I'm a package deal though, you know that right?" Danny warned.

The sudden serious tone stung at Steve's blissed out mind, but not enough to bother him.

"Package?" He repeated. 

"I come with two kids and an ex wife. They'll always be part of my life," Danny warned seriously.

Steve chuckled as his laced his fingers through Danny's again. It was the smallest, softest, most forgettable action in the world and he had been dying to do it for years.

"Firstly I adore your kids, and I can get along just fine with Rachel. Secondly I come with a highly trained dog and a partner who likes to phone me and interrupt date night-" he began.

"Hey, it's not my fault you went on a date with the wrong person, I had to make sure you both knew I wasn't going anywhere," Danny argued defensively.  
Steve grinned at him, his eyes shining. "You're not going anywhere anymore."

Danny grinned back. He felt like a teenager. It was embarrassing. But everyone on this plane had seen their first kiss and how utterly humiliating that was, so he figured in for a penny in for a pound. He pulled back to say whatever thought was on his mind.

"Ma's gonna flip when we tell her-"

Steve wasn’t done though. He laid his hand against Danny's jaw to guide him in closer, and then moved up to cup his cheek. Danny's smile had been rare recently but right now he couldn't stop. The corners of his eyes crinkled and he looked like sunshine.

"You gonna do that the whole way to Jersey?" He teased.

"I was thinking about it," Steve murmured, brushing his thumb against Danny’s lip as he did.

"Don't let me stop you," Danny murmured back.

"You’re a cop. What about public indecency?" Steve teased.

"We're out of my jurisdiction."

Danny reached out to cup the back of Steve's neck to pull him closer, and the hissed in pain as the chair arm between them pressed his cuts. Steve shoved it back roughly so nothing was between them. Danny snorted at how literal Steve was, but Steve just kissed into his smile.

The kisses he enjoyed. Couldn’t get enough of them. The other passengers patting him on the shoulder and congratulating them proudly he could live without though. 

"We probably could have picked a better place for this," Danny muttered.

"Like the beach at home?" Steve smirked.

He had tried. Lord knew he had tried to find the words on that beach. But "say the words and I'll stay" were a hard thing to say to someone who held your heart in their hard and if the answer had been no it would be too hard to ever come home again.

Danny just smirked, "That would have been perfect. Why can't we ever do perfect?"

"The first day we met we tried to shoot each other and you punched me in the face. This seems pretty perfect in comparison," Steve snorted. 

Danny laughed. Laughing ached but it happened so easily when Steve was around. When he looked pained Steve winced and tried to kiss it better. Just having him close helped.

But Danny's body was still recovering, and he had been through a whirlwind of emotions. He was tired now. Happily exhausted. He rested his head on Steve's chest and listened to the way his heart beat raced faster when he did. Danny smiled to himself.   
It slipped out naturally. He had said it many times in many ways, but this time it meant everything he had been holding back.

"I love you."

Danny felt Steve's heart skip a beat as he paused. Then he wrapped his arms gently around him again, careful to miss his stitches as he did. He should have said it years ago, but they were here now and the wait was worth it.

"I love you too Danny."


End file.
